The invention relates to an apparatus for inserting displation type terminals into cavities in a workpiece. More specifically, the invention relates to an apparatus that inserts both bridged and unbridged terminals into cavities in a workpiece.
The term xe2x80x9cdisplationxe2x80x9d has been coined to identify and describe a type of wire connection in which a wire is moved relatively into a narrow slot in a terminal, the width of the slot being such that the edges of the slot penetrate the insulation of the wire and establish electrical contact with a conducting core of the wire. A wide variety of displation type contact terminals and methods of making electrical connections with the wires of coil windings, such as are used in motor stators, induction coils, and elsewhere, are known in the electrical industry.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,908 discloses a known type of insertion apparatus for inserting displation type terminals into cavities in a workpiece. In general, U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,908 discloses a terminal comprising a U-shaped member having a pair of parallel plate sections connected by a bight. A relatively wide gap or opening is provided in the bight. Slots are provided in the plate sections that extend to the gap or opening so that the wire may be moved laterally in respect to its axis through the opening and into the wire-receiving slots. The apparatus is intended to insert terminals into a plastic frame or housing of a stator. The wire from the stator winding is positioned with its axis extending transversely in respect to a cavity in the plastic stator frame. As the terminal is pushed into the cavity, the wire is moved relatively into the slot of the terminal. A shearing blade trims an end portion of the wire. The cut end is dragged into the cavity such that the cut is not exposed after the terminal is fully inserted. The apparatus has certain limitations that restrict its use under many of the circumstances and working conditions under which displation type connections are mated to the wires of coil windings.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,316 discloses an apparatus for inserting displation type terminals in strip form into cavities in a coil bobbin or the like. The strip of terminals is fed into the apparatus where the terminals are sheared from the strip and inserted into cavities in a workpiece. As the terminals are inserted into the workpiece, the terminals move past wires extending from a coil in the workpiece and drag the wires into the cavities as end portions of the wires are sheared. The apparatus is compact and may be mounted on a workbench and manually operated under circumstances where an operator places an individual workpiece on the apparatus, actuates the apparatus, and removes the workpiece from the apparatus after wire terminations have been made. The apparatus may be mounted adjacent to or on a fully automatic assembly machine so that it might become an integrated part of the machine. The apparatus is limited in that it does not allow for both bridged and unbridged terminals to be inserted into the workpiece without changing tooling.
It is therefore desirable to develop an apparatus that is not limited in use and can insert bridged and unbridged terminals into a workpiece without changing tooling.
The invention is directed to an apparatus for inserting bridged and unbridged terminals initially carried on a carrier strip into cavities in a housing. The apparatus has a slide assembly with a cam track movable between a first and second position, and a pivoting lever with a cam follower. The cam follower is positioned in and cooperates with the cam track. The pivoting lever is movable between an open position and a closed position and has first and second shearing blades that cooperate with an end of the lever opposite the cam follower end. An eccentric pin extends through the pivoting lever and is attached to a rotary actuator. The eccentric pin is positioned to act as the pivot point for the pivoting lever. The rotary actuator is movable between an engaged and disengaged position. As the pivoting lever is moved to the closed position, the first shearing blades engage and shear a first portion the carrier strip of the terminals. As the rotary actuator is moved to the engaged position, the second shearing blade engages and shears a second portion of the carrier strip.